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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
“But conquering people is easy. You break past their defenses, seize their cities, burn their world to the ground. To annihilate us, though, is impossible. A seed will survive. I am not done. I will not forget.”
➽ Skyhunter is an interesting dystopian (somewhat post-apocalyptic) story! It follows Talin, a Striker who defeats the vicious Ghosts - humans that have been experimented on and transformed into monsters. She serves Mara, the last free nation that stands against the ever-expanding Karensa Federation which creates the Ghosts and conquers every other nation one by one. I really liked the premise, as it was intriguing and had many great themes such as colonization and the treatment of refugees. Talin is a refugee herself who fled the Federation's conquest with her mother. Ever since she's mute, but the Striker force communicates in sign language as the Ghosts they hunt hear the slightest sounds. I liked how sign language was incorporated into this book and utilized within the Strikers!
➽ It was easy to empathise with Talin, who risks her life for Mara while many people discriminate against refugees. Without the help of her partner - her Shield - she wouldn't have even been allowed to become a Striker. Even though she's confronted with daily microaggressions and suspicion from her own people, Talin still takes pride in her crucial work of keeping Mara safe. I liked her determination and bravery, as she's not giving up, no matter how harshly others try to put her down. The story touches upon the lingering trauma of her escape into Mara and the treatment of most refugees as second-class citizens who are forced to live in the outer region of the country. When Talin saves a captured soldier from the Federation, it seems like he might hold the key to staving off the looming invasion!
➽ In the end, the book missed a certain spark that I've come to expect from Marie Lu's books. Skyhunter had a lot of potential and I enjoyed the disability representation and discussions about refugees and war. However, I needed more from the story, as the world of Mara and the Federation still didn't feel fleshed out. Unfortunately, there were no interesting twists and turns, no shocking revelations that Marie Lu has pulled off in her other books. Skyhunter was a bit too straightforward for me and I wish the story had dug deeper into the people from before, why they were wiped out and how exactly the Federation rose to so much power. I also didn't feel invested in any of the characters apart from Talin. Her Striker friends faded into the background for me and Red, the Federation soldier was ultimately a forgettable character. I actually had high hopes for Red, but I feel like he lacked depth and I didn't connect to him. Maybe a dual POV would have helped with that. I don't think I'll read the sequel as I can already tell the direction it'll go, and I'm not invested enough into the story to continue!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Murder, and War
Minor: Ableism, Torture, and Xenophobia
asahome's review against another edition
4.5
TL;DR: A young woman saves the life of a prisoner of war and is assigned to be his partner. As they learn to fight together, their bonds are tested by an inability to communicate and old prejudices.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Police brutality, and Classism
jasperdotpdf's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
So this was the first Marie Lu book I ever read, and I really loved it!
The worldbuilding was great, and Talin‘s characterisation as well. I love how she handled her grief throughout the book, and how it was a constant factor that she carried with her even to the end of the book. It felt very realistic to see her remember Corian even when she‘d bonded with Red. It was also really interesting to see a mute MC, which I‘m just gonna take as disability rep even though it isn’t a huge hindrance for Talin.
I did have a bone to pick with how this was handled, however.For the majority of the book, we‘re told that Talin lost her voice during the siege of Basea because of poison gas, however the reveal towards the end of the book rubbed me the wrong way. It feels like it‘s a setup for her to regain her voice in the sequel, which I really wouldn‘t enjoy. It was great to see a main character with a disability that wasn‘t painted as something they needed to overcome, and I fear that it‘s going to become a plot point in Steelstriker, despite there not being a major struggle throughout Skyhunter that would make this feel rewarding in any way, shape or form.
The pacing was a little fast for me, especially how the developing of relationships between the characters was handled. But this definitely had the usual upsides of faster pacing — namely that this book was a breeze to read through and managed to keep my attention fairly well.
The way Marie Lu handles the setup for the climax was nothing short of captivating and it did make me tear up a little bit.
The end, as well as some small parts of the story were a little predictable, but I‘m not one to dislike any and everything that doesn’t have schock value. Despite the predictability of these moments, the way I grew to care about the characters still made them pay off.
Apart from some small redundancies/repetitions in writing, and my wish for a little slower pacing this book was absolutely amazing.
The worldbuilding was great, and Talin‘s characterisation as well. I love how she handled her grief throughout the book, and how it was a constant factor that she carried with her even to the end of the book. It felt very realistic to see her remember Corian even when she‘d bonded with Red. It was also really interesting to see a mute MC, which I‘m just gonna take as disability rep even though it isn’t a huge hindrance for Talin.
I did have a bone to pick with how this was handled, however.
The pacing was a little fast for me, especially how the developing of relationships between the characters was handled. But this definitely had the usual upsides of faster pacing — namely that this book was a breeze to read through and managed to keep my attention fairly well.
The way Marie Lu handles the setup for the climax was nothing short of captivating and it did make me tear up a little bit.
The end, as well as some small parts of the story were a little predictable, but I‘m not one to dislike any and everything that doesn’t have schock value. Despite the predictability of these moments, the way I grew to care about the characters still made them pay off.
Apart from some small redundancies/repetitions in writing, and my wish for a little slower pacing this book was absolutely amazing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Medical trauma
Minor: Ableism and Racism
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
niksbrie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, Violence, and War
Minor: Ableism
mschmitz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Wow, I really enjoyed this book. I have a hard time reading YA as I get older because the characters always seem to be the same - they have the same appearances, they are quite whiny, powerful people fall head over heels for them for no reason, and they are all-powerful and special for no good reason. I'm really tired of it tbh. This story has a diverse mix of characters and the author did a great job developing all of them. The MC is from a fictional land, but I think her appearances are reflective of maybe south Asian people's appearances. Also, she is part of the disabled community, which is really cool since we don't see a lot of representation of that community as a leading character.
It was also very refreshing to finally read a book about warriors where there is no sexism. Like not once. It's not even mentioned passively. Loved that.
It's not a romantic story, and I am not sure if it will go in that direction in the next book, but I kind of have a feeling it won't. So if you are looking for some romance, then this book probably won't satisfy you. I do however recommend it if you are looking for a somewhat unique dystopian fantasy. The world building is clear and done well, and the characters are nicely written. I became quite invested in their feelings, their traumas, their relationships, and their growth. I look forward to reading the second book.
It was also very refreshing to finally read a book about warriors where there is no sexism. Like not once. It's not even mentioned passively. Loved that.
It's not a romantic story, and I am not sure if it will go in that direction in the next book, but I kind of have a feeling it won't. So if you are looking for some romance, then this book probably won't satisfy you. I do however recommend it if you are looking for a somewhat unique dystopian fantasy. The world building is clear and done well, and the characters are nicely written. I became quite invested in their feelings, their traumas, their relationships, and their growth. I look forward to reading the second book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Ableism, Xenophobia, and Colonisation
anaguana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, and War
sankta_aleena's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, and War
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